Romans 11
This just happens to be one of my favorite chapters in the NT. As it was having this chapter explained to me in a way, that the SDA had worked hard to avoid, that opened my eyes to the lie of Israel being rejected. It is with the hope of doing as good of a job now as was done when my eyes were opened.
1 "In that case, I say, isn't it that God has repudiated his people?" Heaven forbid! For I myself am a son of Isra'el, from the seed of Avraham, of the tribe of Binyamin.
2 God has not repudiated his people, whom he chose in advance. Or don't you know what the Tanakh says about Eliyahu? He pleads with God against Isra'el,
as always in an effort to be fare, I will open with 2 teaching on the above passage. The first does leave a bad taste in my mouth. In it we are told that Paul being a Jew himself, didn't want to face the fact that the Jewish people were replaced by the church. This teaching also goes on to try and use the rest of this chapter to show hat there is only a spiritual Israel now.
The other wishes to place this chapter in context, and show us that Paul was not showing favoritism, rather showing us how he seen the facts. As can be seen i the first verse, Paul uses wording that makes it clear he does not think that HaShem backed out of a covenant made some 3000 year before. Give or take a little on that 3000.
3 "ADONAI, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I'm the only one left, and now they want to kill me too!"
4 But what is God's answer to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt down to Ba'al."
Paul uses 1Kings 19 to make his point. As we know from this, HaShem held 7000 Israelite's to Himself. By the Spirit, He keep them from worshiping Baal. Through them Israel would be saved, and restored to their faith. Ever time Israel has rebelled, a remnant was hold in faith, by HaShem. This can be seen all through the the Tanakh.
5 It's the same way in the present age: there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
6 (Now if it is by grace, it is accordingly not based on legalistic works; if it were otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.)
Though some today wish to remove Israel, and replace much of the Biblical teachings, the cold hard fact remains. A remnant of Israel is still walking in faith. Has seen the light, and understands who Yeshua is. Paul will show us in a bit, just what that means for us gentiles.
7 What follows is that Isra'el has not attained the goal for which she is striving. The ones chosen have obtained it, but the rest have been made stonelike,
8 just as the Tanakh says, "God has given them a spirit of dullness eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear, right down to the present day."
9 And David says, "Let their dining table become for them a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a punishment.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they can't see, with their backs bent continually."
Many translations use the phrase was striving. This can mislead one to think that Israel is no longer striving for righteousness. Yet with a simply glance at Israel today, it is clear that they are. It is true that many haven't came to an understanding of who Yeshua is, the number of them that have is growing almost daily. This should be in our prayers always. Though it does show that HaShem still loves His people, and is working in them to lea as many a He can to salvation. Can we get a great big AMEN to that?
11 "In that case, I say, isn't it that they have stumbled with the result that they have permanently fallen away?" Heaven forbid! Quite the contrary, it is by means of their stumbling that the deliverance has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke them to jealousy.
Once more Paul talks of the gentile nations provoking jealousy with in the Jewish nation. As this makes the 3rd time this has been brought out, it should be something we are working on doing. This however can never be done when they see only bickering between the churchs, and infighting with in each denomination.
12 Moreover, if their stumbling is bringing riches to the world - that is, if Isra'el's being placed temporarily in a condition less favored than that of the Gentiles is bringing riches to the latter - how much greater riches will Isra'el in its fullness bring them!
The answer to this can be seen in the teachings of many Messianic teachers. For it is in their understanding of both the Tanakh, and NT that much of is over looked, can be found. We should never look at them as trying to convert any one to Judaism, as that does seem to the farthest thing from their minds. What they try to do is to teach us the things that Christianity has neglected for close to 2000 years. The words of Paul here do point to this form of riches, and not that of monetary wealth.
13 However, to those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work
14 in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them!
15 For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead!
16 Now if the hallah offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Hallah if I remember this right is talking of the share of the bough set aside for the cohanim,( priest) in accordance with numbers 15:20. It was this part that made the whole loaf holy, and If Abraham was holy, being the root of salvation, the the branches are as well.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you - a wild olive - were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree,
The use of the olive tree has so many depths to it. First the Olive tree was used a symbol of Israel in the Tanakh, Jer. 11:16, and Hos 14:5-6 come to mind. Next, a little know fact. A wild olive doesn't produce good fruit, yet if a branch is grafted into a cultivate tree, it will start to produce good fruit.
18 then don't boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you.
As we should all know, the basses of our faith comes from the Jewish people. This root is what gives life to the things we hold dear and follow to this day. However, many today think themselves better than the root. This was, and still is to some extent a product of the church of Rome. As it was mostly gentile, they held a dominant role. This lead to many bragging about their status, while treating the Jews and their heritage with disdain.
19 So you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in."
20 True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don't be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified!
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won't spare you!
Paul here is trying to make it clear that though some of the branches were removed to make room of us, we must keep in mind that the root, weather you see it as Abraham, Yeshua, or the patriarchs, the Messianic Jews, or all of Israel, the root is Judaism, and this can't be changed. Should we be a bit more willing to think on this passage, we may be bit slower to belittle, or degrade the Jewish people, or their teachings.
22 So take a good look at God's kindness and his severity: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God's kindness toward you - provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off!
23 Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in.
We should be glad that HaShem in kind, and Loving. He removed the branches that lost their faith, and stopped trusting in His love, and sovereignty. Rather worked on their own for salivation. Just as if we turn to our own works of goodness, for salvation, we too can be cut off. However in His loving kindness, once a person that lost faith finds it once more, they will be put back in their place.
24 For if you were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!
25 For, brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but has now revealed, so that you won't imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Isra'el, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness;
There are some that teach this means there are a set number of Gentiles that will be saved. Once that number is reached, Salvation will be removed from the gentile world. However, their is another teaching, one that in my mind seems a bit more real. In it we find that fullness doesn't relate to a number, rather to breath of representation. In that once the Word has been given to all Gentile nations, the end will come.
26 and that it is in this way that all Isra'el will be saved. As the Tanakh says, "Out of Tziyon will come the Redeemer; he will turn away ungodliness from Ya'akov
27 and this will be my covenant with them, . . . when I take away their sins."
28 With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs' sake,
The idea that the Jewish people are hated in respect to the God News, is a key point used to say Israel has been rejected. However as I was shown, A lot of the Jewish people rejected Yeshua, that does not mean that they all did. This is clear in much of Pauls writings. He does go into the Synagogue to teach. A place that both Jew and gentile gathered to learn from the Scripture. Also Paul tell us that Israel is still loved. SO as my Rabbi made clear, HaShem will not work to bring salvation to a people he hates, so He must still hold Israel dear to His heart. This teaching is followed in much of the NT. Rev. 7 come to mind.
29 for God's free gifts and his calling are irrevocable.
30 Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra'el's disobedience;
31 so also Isra'el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God's mercy.
32 For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.
33 O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments! How unsearchable are his ways!
34 For, 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been his counselor?'
35 Or, 'Who has given him anything and made him pay it back?'
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
I understand that some will say I didn't cover every single word give in this chapter. To you say, I can only pray that what was said, finds a home in your heart.
also His last epistle written just before His second appearance before nero, He seems to Know His time is up , similarly to peter who says the Lord had made it clear to Him He would soon part from His body. i think we sometimes forget that what we are reading about is true events, 
